Chapter Thirty
“EXCUSE ME!” ATTICUS shouted over the din of the locker room.
Kieran looked up from putting on his shoes.
Their setter waited until all eyes were on him, until he had the attention of every person in the small room.
Then he leaned forward, pressing a button on a small bluetooth speaker he’d set on one of the benches.
Usher’s Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home) blared out of the speaker, earning a chorus of groans and boos from his team. Atticus only grinned wider at their reactions, crooning the words as he made his way through the room.
“Who said you’re starting?” Kieran asked. He reached over, slapping Aaron on the back. The other setter was seated on the bench next to him, booing almost as loud as Bowen and Eric were from where they were, for some unknown reason, sprawled on the floor.
Atticus looked as though he’d been stabbed in the heart. Aaron rose, putting an arm around his shoulders, yanking him in close by the neck.
“I’m letting you play today,” Aaron stage-whispered into his ear. Atticus paled. “You owe me now.” He ended it with a sloppy, loud smooch to the cheek that had Atticus shoving him away.
“You might not be afraid of me,” Atticus said, pouting. “But you should be very, very afraid of Kai, and what he might do to you if he catches you with your hands on me.” He stuck out his tongue for emphasis. Aaron only laughed, slapping his ass as he walked away.
Atticus was smiling as he took the vacated seat next to Kieran. Kieran bumped against his shoulder.
“Feeling good about today?” He’d known Atticus for twenty years. Bravado was something his friend had perfected, a shield he used flawlessly.
“Pretty good,” Atticus said. The joviality left his tone, a more serious mask slipping into place. “Feel better knowing Sammie’s gonna be out there.”
Sammie was here? The question must have shown on Kieran’s face, because Atticus was laughing softly at him, a knowing lilt to his voice.
“She flew in this morning. Rooming with Kai for the weekend.” It was Atticus’ turn to bump against Kieran’s shoulder. “You gotta put on a show for her. Win us that trophy and prove you are a superior male specimen.”
“Sammie hardly even likes men,” Kieran said, earning a much louder laugh that had several other players turning toward them.
“The fact that you understand that, it gives me hope that you might find your way out of the mess the two of you got yourselves into.”
Kieran didn’t feel the levity. He wanted to, but a part of him was still afraid. Scared that Sammie had already made up her mind.
Scared that he’d waited too long, and missed his one and only shot.
“You think that’s true?” Kieran asked. Atticus scanned his face. Kieran pulled in a short, shaky breath. “You think we can fix it?”
Atticus hesitated, weighing his words carefully.
“I think my sister has had to make some really hard decisions lately,” he finally said.
Kieran felt pinned by his bright eyes, a different shade of blue, but their shape so, so similar to the ones he’d longed to see for the last two weeks.
“I think you could be the easiest decision she’s ever had to make. ”
The air rushed out of Kieran, a relief coursing through him that he hadn’t known he needed. Because Atticus was his friend. Atticus was Sammie’s brother. He knew the two of them in such a specific way. There was history there, so much history between the three of them.
And if Atticus felt any amount of confidence that Kieran and Sammie could mend things, then it had to be true, didn’t it?
“Listen up!”
Coach Rodriguez’s booming voice rang out, echoing through the room and quieting the players in the span of a heartbeat.
“The Comets just won their game,” Coach said, planting his hands firmly on his hips.
“They’re the favorite to win this whole thing.
We had a good season. It was rocky there at the end, but you pulled your shit together and came out on top, and that’s all that matters today.
You got us here. Now I want you to get us to that final game.
Get us through the next two, so we can face those fuckers and steal the title they already think they’ve won! ”
A chorus of whooping shouts went up, a cacophony that rattled through Kieran.
This was one of the things he loved most about playing.
The moments before the game, when anything could happen.
When they guys he’d come to love like a family all buzzed with the same collective energy.
A vibration that tied them all together, each and every one, a rhythm they all felt as they prepared to head out onto that court and fight for the win.
“Get up there!” Atticus was shoving Kieran off the bench. Bowen and Eric were rabid dogs at his feet, pushing him forward.
Kieran had never been one for speeches. He really wasn’t one for a lot of words in general. But his team deserved to hear him today. They deserved to know how proud he was. Of them, of himself, of everything they’d accomplished together.
“The Hawks are good,” he began, holding the rapt attention of every player in that room.
“We know they’re good, we’ve played them before.
We’ve beat them, but we’ve also lost to them.
It’s easy to say that this game could go either way.
” He paused, reaching up to tie his curls back from his face.
“I’m not gonna say that. Not only is that not what you all want to hear from me, but it is not true. ”
A few of the players whispered to one another, but most kept their eyes locked on Kieran. Public speaking was terrifying at best, but not in front of this group. Not in front of his family.
“We fought for our place in this tournament. We earned it. I’ve seen each and every one of you bust your asses all season long just for a shot at this.
” He sucked in a heavy breath, steeling himself for the next part.
“You showed up when I didn’t. When I couldn’t.
” His nose itched with emotion. “You made it so easy to fight for this team, because it’s about so much more than just the game now.
It’s about a story we’re building together, piece by piece, day by day.
” He pointed sharply toward the door. “Every second that I get to spend out on that court with you means more to me than I know how to say. So instead, I’ll just say this. ”
A faucet dripped somewhere in the distance as Kieran steadied himself.
“You’ve made this the best season of my career, and I’ve never been more proud to lead this team. Thank you for letting me in, for letting me be a part of something this special. Now, let’s go tear those birds out of the sky.”
Kieran’s team crashed into him, a poor excuse for a huddle, but he didn’t mind. As arms wrapped around him, as faces pressed close and more bodies barreled into the group, cheers and war cries and maybe even a little actual crying bursting out around him, Kieran had truly never felt more at home.